silicon

66

Main navigation

Heide Brandes

About Heide Brandes

Heide Brandes is an award-winning writer and editor based in Oklahoma City. With more than 18 years of editorial experience, her work has been published in Forbes, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News, Business Insider, The Guardian and Destinations Travel Magazine, as well as numerous regional and state magazines. She is also the Oklahoma correspondent for Thomson Reuters News Service. Heide’s areas of coverage include business, aerospace, technology, arts, politics, travel and investigative work. She has covered technology and start-ups for more than 10 years for publications like Oklahoma's Journal Record, and helped create an in-depth economic focus piece about Oklahoma for Forbes. Heide was one of 30 journalists worldwide—and the only freelance journalist—to be chosen for a press intensive trip to Taiwan to study international trade relations in the Trans Pacific Partnership in 2014. She is the recipient of many Oklahoma Press Association awards for reporting, received multiple Marshall Gregory Awards for education reporting, and is a current board member for the Oklahoma Chapter for the Society for Professional Journalists. Follow her on Twitter @HeideWrite.

Scotland, mid-19th century. An intruder has been spotted at night on the grounds of Lammermoor Castle, home of Enrico Ashton. Normanno, the captain of the guard, sends Enrico’s men off in search of the stranger. Enrico arrives, troubled. His family’s fortunes are in danger, and only the arranged marriage of his sister, Lucia, with Lord Arturo can save them.
When the Santa Fe Opera House debuted the opening night of the tragic opera “Lucia Di Lammermoore” in July, ... Read More

Startup competitions can be that one opportunity that could launch your dream into reality, but contrary to popular belief, one does not need to win the competition to reap the benefits of participating in one.
Each competition in Oklahoma offers cash prizes for winners, but also a chance for resource development, networking, mentorship and more. In Oklahoma, startup competitions range from collegiate business plan contests, student-centric pitch competitions to professional level ... Read More

For startups looking to gain a foothold in a new market while working with relatively small budgets, the use of social media is now less of a unique marketing tool and more of a priority. Sites like Twitter and Pinterest have become vital parts of lead-generation, customer-service and brand-awareness strategies for new businesses, but few entrepreneurs understand how to maximize social media. No matter what stage your new business is in, growing a social media audience is vital. In addition, the ... Read More

In ancient times, the Chickasaw Indians were revered as the "Spartans of the Lower Mississippi Valley." An agrarian tribe, the Chickasaws boasted of a lively trade business with other Southeastern Indians, and the French and English nations, but were also feared as fierce warriors.
Even after the “Great Removal,” commonly known as The Trail of Tears when the Chickasaws and other tribes were forced from their homelands to Indian Territory in Oklahoma, the Chickasaws regained prosperity, and ... Read More

In 2012, more than 686,000 children in America were victims of abuse or maltreatment. Of those, 1,600 died from abuse and neglect, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The effects of child abuse can linger well beyond childhood. Maltreatment in children can result in adult disorders like anxiety and depression, but also chronic illnesses that harm the lives of millions of adults across the United States each year, according early childhood expert, therapist and ... Read More

When a friend who was shopping for a pricey item on eBay asked Robin Smith six years ago if she knew anyone who could go “check it out”, Smith had the kind of a-ha moment entrepreneurs dream about: Why not create a platform that allows people to request an inspection for any item, anywhere, anytime, using a national network of qualified, credentialed professionals?
It sounded straightforward enough, and no one else was doing it, but there was one hitch: Smith wasn’t a programmer, had no ... Read More

When Steve Soroosh owned a used car dealership in 2012, he learned the hard way that even when a vehicle looks perfect, it can be fatally flawed.
Buying cars at auction is always a crapshoot, he admits. Dealers have mere minutes to evaluate a vehicle before bidding on it, trusting that their knowledge is enough to catch whether a vehicle is treasure or trash.
A sparkling little 2006 Mini Cooper proved to be Soroosh’s downfall.
It looked perfect. It was as bright and shiny as a new ... Read More

While in London, Marcus Robinson of Oklahoma City struggled to find recommendations on local places to eat, pubs to visit or nearby attractions.
Tasked with starting a European branch for the firm he worked for, Robinson stayed in London hotels and in other cities around Europe. Like many visitors, he would wait in line at the hotel concierge desk to ask questions about restaurants, tourist attractions or even services.
Though digital advertising signs were placed in the lobby, touting ... Read More

Sometimes a simple question leads to a great idea.
Robin Smith of Oklahoma City was a marketing and digital freelance consultant for local car dealerships when a friend asked a fateful question that would change her life. About to purchase an item off eBay, the friend asked her if she knew anyone who could go “check it out.”
“I didn’t. It shocked me that this service didn’t exist,” said Smith. “It was just a simple idea, but no one was doing it. That’s when I started ... Read More

Editor’s note:This is the third and final installment of a three-part series on the growing field of genomics and bioformatics in the Silicon66 region, which includes Oklahoma, the Texas panhandle, New Mexico and Arizona. The series included an examination of genetic research being done at Oklahoma’s Langston University to help goat producers, and a look the work of Agric-Bioformatics.
Lexi Palmer can tell when a horse is suffering, how it nips and bucks when ... Read More